Photo: NASA
With a great number of private companies now involved in the development and operation of space technologies, it is only a matter of time before humanity’s first off-planet economy kicks off.
For now, a space economy pretty much means tourism and private demand for rocket launches, but the possibilities are virtually endless. All that's needed is more companies launching more hardware out there.
As a means to boost and support commercial activity in space, NASA said on Wednesday it has commissioned 13 companies to conduct studies into this matter. Among them are Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, which plans to build the world’s first private space station in the near future, Boeing, and Deloitte.
All will be tasked with looking at ways for making a profit from habitable platforms, assessing the role of the government in this new industry and how to incorporate the existing International Space Station in the new reality.
“When the International Space Station was established, we could not have anticipated all of the benefits it would provide,” said in a statement Sam Scimemi, director of the International Space Station division at NASA Headquarters.
“We’re excited to receive this input from the commercial market and aerospace experts to help shape a future thriving space economy in which companies contract with each other to conduct research and activities in low-Earth orbit.”
NASA says tasking these companies with the research will allow it to focus on bolder missions. At the same time, any possible tech and ideas that comes out of these studies could benefit the agency as well, as it still is the planet’s largest customer for space companies.
As per NASA estimations, the combined value of the studies it commissioned is of around $11 million, with each contract not to exceed $1 million. The first results are expected to be published this December.
In the document attached below you can find the full list of companies selected by NASA for the task.
As a means to boost and support commercial activity in space, NASA said on Wednesday it has commissioned 13 companies to conduct studies into this matter. Among them are Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, which plans to build the world’s first private space station in the near future, Boeing, and Deloitte.
All will be tasked with looking at ways for making a profit from habitable platforms, assessing the role of the government in this new industry and how to incorporate the existing International Space Station in the new reality.
“When the International Space Station was established, we could not have anticipated all of the benefits it would provide,” said in a statement Sam Scimemi, director of the International Space Station division at NASA Headquarters.
“We’re excited to receive this input from the commercial market and aerospace experts to help shape a future thriving space economy in which companies contract with each other to conduct research and activities in low-Earth orbit.”
NASA says tasking these companies with the research will allow it to focus on bolder missions. At the same time, any possible tech and ideas that comes out of these studies could benefit the agency as well, as it still is the planet’s largest customer for space companies.
As per NASA estimations, the combined value of the studies it commissioned is of around $11 million, with each contract not to exceed $1 million. The first results are expected to be published this December.
In the document attached below you can find the full list of companies selected by NASA for the task.
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